I don’t know about you, but does anyone else feel like tribalism is over rated in Kenya. Last time I checked, I’m 50% Kikuyu 25% Meru and 25% Maasai. That means I’m a Bantu and Nilotic by African Standards and an African, by Global Standards. Obviously, I’m not the only person in Kenya and even Africa who comes from mixed ethnic backgrounds. However, society, point in case, politics, has made us see ourselves as tribes not Kenyans. Us only belonging in a particulate that separates Kenya instead of bringing us together as one diverse culture. Our last name is a determining factor when you decide to speak, more so on political grounds.

Politics has long taught us that it is one tribe against another. For a long time, I believed this. I believed that my tribe must stick together and be strong. Well, this is what I was told we must do. I believed it. This, unfortunately, gravitated to whom I voted for in the previous General Elections. I’m not blaming anyone for my choices because now I know better. Ethnicity is now, not what I thought back then. It’s different. More inclusive. More positive. More accommodating. More communal.

It is true tribalism is real. If we look at how getting a job in this country works, in most cases it’s through tribal links. Whom you know in a certain place. In some counties, they only employ people of that one tribe claiming they don’t want their jobs to be taken over by other tribes. Even when the person is not qualified for that particular position, but is of that specific tribe, they still get the job. This is tribal discrimination, which hinders progress. Ask yourselves how some counties have not gained much from devolution.

Ethnicity is more than the way politics in this country has led us to think. Just as we must never judge a book by its cover, we should also never judge a person by their tribe or as I like to call it, ethnic background. Who are we to judge anyway? When I look at my Ethnic DNA, I see amazing chapters of those who came before me. Each chapter is co-authored by my ancestors who came from different Ethnic Backgrounds. The title of this book is only one. Kenya.

If you take pride in your ethnicity, I am not telling you to stop. However, do you really want to define all of who you are just by your one tribe? There is more to your story; your tribe, than the politicians’ condensed versions.

Remember, we all bleed the same. We are unique when we come together. If we have to fight, let us fight for each other. If we have to shout, let us shout out the love in this country. If we have to shoot, let us take shots of our beautiful culture; the people, our amazing landscapes and our unique wildlife. If we have to kill, let’s kill time discussing what we can do for our country.

Our cultures are uniquely different. We should take advantage of our diversity and use the strengths from each ethnicity to build this nation. At the end of the day, we are all one.

Before this post is deemed political, let me remind you, that the people we place in public offices have the mandate to safeguard, protect and conserve our natural resources. The environment is part of the Kenyan Constitution and avoiding it, is avoiding a very big sector in the country.

This is a post for every conservationist, environmentalists, activists, or anyone who remotely cares about our biodiversity to choose wisely. To choose leaders who understand how important our environment is. A reminder of leaders like Wangari Maathai and John Michuki, who took it upon themselves to safeguard our environment. These are the leaders we need. We should vote for such leaders.